Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso recently revealed that he does not prefer to carry fluids into his race car. Though modern F1 cars are equipped with a drinks bottle and a tube, the 43-year-old tends to avoid it despite drivers losing up to 3 kg of water weight during Grands Prix.
In an interview with DAZN, after the 2024 Singapore GP, Alonso explained the reasoning behind this. As it turns out, the two-time world champion rather go fluid-less than bear the discomfort of having a drinks tube attached to his mouth in the crash helmet.
A report doing the rounds of X (formerly Twitter) explains, “In Singapore [Fernando] Alonso has said that he does not carry water in the car because it is uncomfortable for him to carry the drinking tube in his mouth.”
In Singapore Alonso has said that he does not carry water in the car because it is uncomfortable for him to carry the drinking tube in his mouth.
— Aston Martin F1 updates (@startonpole) September 24, 2024
Alonso decided to stick to his plans even during the Singapore GP. The race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit is one of the most grueling tests of endurance and concentration. The immense g-forces coupled with the high temperatures make it one of the most physically taxing races on the F1 calendar.
But despite the Grand Prix being notorious for causing the most amount of dehydration, Alonso decided to race without the drinks tube in his AMR24. The effects of this were very evident, too.
After the race in the media pen, Alonso seemed in discomfort and was also seen cramping up before approaching his interview with DAZN. Needless to say, like George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, the 43-year-old was also facing the brunt of a 62-lap race that sapped the last bit of energy and hydration in his body.
The Mercedes duo of Russell and Hamilton were so exhausted, that they even decided to skip their media duties.
